Former India batter Mohammad Kaif opined that Varun Chakaravarthy is currently above Kuldeep Yadav in the pecking order in the Indian T20I team. Chakaravarthy has been India's leading wicket-taker in T20I cricket since his return to the national team in 2024.
During the ongoing T20I series between India and New Zealand, Chakaravarthy featured in both games while Kuldeep played only the second, coming in place of all-rounder Axar Patel.
Kaif believes the Indian team management is clear about Chakaravarthy
being their first-choice spinner. The cricketer-turned-expert mentioned that the mystery spinner can bowl inside the powerplay, something that Kuldeep doesn't do too often. He added that Chakaravarthy can pick up wickets in any phase of the innings.
“Varun has gone slightly ahead of him (Kuldeep). Both are outstanding bowlers, but if you have to pick one, Varun is ahead at this point in time. We saw this in the earlier match as well. Kuldeep did not play. Varun and Axar played. So the planning of Team India has become very clear. If there is a choice between Varun and Kuldeep, Varun is the preferred option, and he is that kind of bowler too. He has never disappointed," Kaif said while speaking in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
“You can bring Varun on whenever you want in the powerplay. Kuldeep does not usually bowl in the powerplay. Varun does. The captain will never hesitate to give Varun the fourth or fifth over, worrying that he might go for 20 runs. There is no such concern with Varun. He comes on and takes wickets in the fifth over, takes powerplay wickets, takes wickets in the middle overs, and later on as well,” he added.
'Varun has now come into that same league' - Kaif compares in-form spinner to Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah has been India's spearhead with the ball across formats for many years now. Kaif said that Chakaravarthy can be considered in the same league as a captain can trust him to change the game with a spell. The 45-year-old mentioned that Chakaravarthy doesn't get bothered after being hit for a boundary, as he has the confidence and belief in himself to get the batter out on the next ball.
“A bowler like Varun, I think, comes to the Indian team only with great luck. A captain is very lucky to have a bowler like him, regardless of the situation or the conditions. Just like with Bumrah, when the captain can say, take the ball and change the game with a spell, Varun has now come into that same league. You can say, Varun, take the ball and get wickets," Kaif said.
“Varun has gone far ahead. If you talk about his control, earlier he used to bowl only the googly. Now he has learned leg spin as well. He knows that even if he gets hit for one or two balls, it’s okay, because he can get the batter out on the next ball. As a spinner, when you develop that belief in your bowling that even if you get hit it doesn’t matter because you can still take a wicket on the next delivery, that confidence is clearly visible in him,” he added.
